Clermont Auvergne centre Wesley Fofana will make his Test debut for France in Saturday's RBS 6 Nations opener against Italy in Paris.
Trinh-Duc gets nod to start at fly-half, Parra on the bench
Clermont Auvergne centre Wesley Fofana will make his Test debut for France in Saturday's RBS Six Nations opener against Italy in Paris.
The 24-year-old is rewarded for his outstanding club form this term and will partner the experienced Aurelien Rougerie in midfield for Les Bleus.
Meanwhile, France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has opted to start with Francois Trinh-Duc at fly-half with the Montpellier playmaker linking up with Dimitri Yachvili, who gets the nod at scrum-half.
That means versatile Clermont scrum-half Morgan Parra, who started the World Cup final against New Zealand in France's number ten shirt, will begin Saturday's clash amongst the replacements.
There is also a recall for powerful winger Julien Malzieu who will make his first international appearance for two years.
In the pack, Saint-Andre has selected Vincent Debaty at prop ahead of veteran Jean-Baptiste Poux, while Louis Picamoles is preferred to Imanol Harinordoquy at number eight.
Harinordoquy has been troubled by a persistent knee injury this term and is another who has to settle for a spot on the bench.
New boss Saint-Andre will be looking to make a winning start to his tenure on home soil, but is wary of the Azzurri who sprung a huge shock by beating France 22-21 in last season's championship.
"We have an enormous amount of respect for Italy, and we won't be taking them lightly," Saint-Andre stated.
France team to face Italy:
M Medard (Toulouse); V Clerc (Toulouse), A Rougerie (Clermont Auvergne), W Fofana (Clermont Auvergne), J Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne); F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), D Yachvili (Biarritz); V Debaty (Clermont Auvergne), W Servat (Toulouse), N Mas (Perpignan), P Pape (Stade Francais), L Nallet (Racing Metro), T Dusautoir (capt, Toulouse), J Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), L Picamoles (Toulouse)
Replacements: D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), J-B Poux (Toulouse), Y Maestri (Toulouse), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz), M Parra (Clermont Auvergne), L Beauxis (Toulouse), M Mermoz (Perpignan)
